


I Never Should Have Let Them Dance

by dreaminginscenes



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-09-28 10:57:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17181656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaminginscenes/pseuds/dreaminginscenes
Summary: A simple dance lesson unearths a fateful discovery between Eraqus' pupils.





	I Never Should Have Let Them Dance

"Come down, Terra! Cultural lessons start in five minutes!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Eraqus heard a door creak open, and a moment later the surly 17-year old boy huffed down the stairs.

The young man's early-morning annoyance was nothing new, and was a bit humorous to his ever-patient master. "Any reason you're in such a terrible mood, Terra?"

Terra sat down on the last step, grabbing his shoes from beside the stairs. "Not really," he shoved on one boot. "I just got to bed late; I was stuck on that paper about world borders."

"I assume you mean the world _order_?"

Terra dropped his head with a groan. "Aww frick..." 

Eraqus shook his head with a sigh; it seemed a few lessons plans would need to be pushed aside today. "I will review it later. Now shape up before you come to class; Aqua will give you a lecture if you approach her with that attitude."

Terra chuckled as he tied the laces of his boots. "Yeah, I don't need that again."

Leaving Terra to find some semblance of breakfast, Eraqus strode down the hall to the training center. The morning light streaming through the grand windows glimmered against the swirling dust hanging in the still air. Eraqus breathed in deeply, the floral aroma of the garden wafting through an open window on a light breeze. It was an exquisite morning. Perhaps he ought to cut the lesson short so he and his students could enjoy it. 

Unfortunately, that was not an option. As much as he wished to take a day to relax, he needed to keep Terra and Aqua on a ridged schedule. They were both nearing their Mark of Mastery Exam, and every moment counted. They needed to study all they could before they would leave his protection, going out into the world to fend for themselves as all masters must.

For Eraqus' pupils, this included the regular Thursday morning cultural lessons. Although it was not required of keyblade wielders, Eraqus insisted that if they were to be defenders of vastly different worlds, they must be well versed in the manners and etiquette of many different cultures. From formal and informal terminology to sports and games, Eraqus' students were educated thoroughly. He could hope these lessons would prove useful one day to his students; Terra would certainly have a few choice words for his master if Eraqus had put him through the torturous lessons year after year for nothing.

Eraqus pulled open the heavy double doors of the gym. Sitting in a patch of sunlight on the hard-wood floor was Aqua, studying diligently as always. Eraqus smiled at the sight of the bright girl engrossed in the tome in her lap. It was customary to find her studying long before the morning's lessons began, which more than once earned her the nickname "smarty-pants" from Terra. Terra studied hard as well, although his preferred time was late in the evening, which earned him the nickname "lazy-butt" whenever Aqua had to drag him out of bed. 

Eraqus cleared his throat, drawing Aqua's attention away from the paragraph she had been puzzling over. She gave him a bright smile. "Good morning master!"

He nodded to her. "Good morning, Aqua. What are you reading so intently this morning?"

She flipped over the cover of the hefty book, showing him the title. "It's _A Brief History of Greek Olympics._ Although 'brief' is not exactly the right word…" She set the book down beside her, an audible thump resounding through the gym.

Eraqus chuckled. "That particular volume is rather over-bearing. It spends far too many pages describing the physics of shot-put."

"Wait, volume???" Aqua hastily looked back at the cover and spied a very fine print _VOL. III_ underneath the title. "Oh chocopoop..." 

The doors slammed open behind them, and Terra bolted beside the pair, breathing heavily. "I--I'm here!"

Eraqus looked to the clock on the wall. Indeed, Terra was barely on time. "Perfect, then we will start right away."

Aqua scrambled to her feet, making her way to the cabinets where they held their notebooks and texts. Terra wearily shuffled his way in the same direction.

"Oh no, we won't be needing our books today," Eraqus picked up a pair of shiny black shoes from behind a bench, indicating the day's lesson to his students.

Terra groaned loudly. "Dancing? Again?"

"If you continue to complain, you will be reading a book on proper fork usage for the period."

Terra snatched the worn-in shoes from his master without another moment's hesitation. While Terra grumbled through changing his shoes, Aqua was ready and practicing warm-up steps. She was always eager for the dancing portions of their lessons, and she had a knack for it. Terra did well but had a more difficult time taking to the steps than his peer.

"Master," Terra started, catching Eraqus' attention. "Does Ven have to do these lessons too?"

"He has not studied dancing yet, but he does study basically the same subjects as you two."

Terra huffed in annoyance. "How come he doesn't have to dance…"

"Because Ven doesn't have a lovely partner like Aqua."

Aqua gave her blue hair a jokingly flirtatious toss. "Come on, Terra! How can you complain when you get the privilege of being graced with _my_ presence?"

He spat as her hair smacked his face "'Privilege' isn't the word I would use."

She smacked his arm, eliciting a childish whine from her reluctant partner. 

As humorous as their banter was, Eraqus clapped his hands to get their attention. "Alright, up on the dance floor."

There was more bickering as the two took their positions in front of Eraqus. He sat himself on a bench and leaned back to press play on the stereo. The cd whirred as the stereo came to life and began a lilting 3-step melody. A soft flute filled the air, giving the two students a rhythmic waltz to follow. 

Eraqus shook his head at their stiffness. Technically, they had mastered the dance; but the movements showed no stylistic flow or form. "Terra, Aqua; show some variation. I want you to feel natural as you follow the music." 

"Maybe if Aqua let me _lead_!" 

"Then make it more interesting!"

"Interesting? How about…THIS!" Terra swung Aqua out on one arm, whipping her around in a quick spin.

She let out a yelp. "GAH! TERRA!!!" Despite her protest, Eraqus couldn't help but note the slight tint of pink in her cheeks as Terra took her waist once more.

Terra laughed at her annoyance; for once, he seemed to be enjoying the dance. "Was that more interesting?"

Aqua bit back a smile. "Well yeah, but give me a little more warning next time!"

"Okay, well get ready!" Using his momentum, he released a hand and swung her out away from him. She yelped again, but quickly dissolved into laughter as he spun her back into him, landing her against his chest with his arms wrapped around her. Terra's cheeks suddenly flushed. With a frantic spin he brought her back to position, averting his eyes from her smile.

Eraqus caught his breath; was he seeing what he thought he was? He began to watch every step intently, not looking for technical achievement but for the signs he feared. A bashful glace; a lingering hand; a yearning lean.

How had he not foreseen this? For years he had let this able, handsome young man and this bright, beautiful young woman spend every waking hour beside one another. How could he had been so blind, so dense, as to not realize what would occur? Of course he would fall for her intelligence and strength, and she his kindness and resolve. How could he have been prepared for everything, except this?

In a moment his heart swelled with joy and was immediately struck down by a terrible pang. For years he had feared that the bond between his pupils would meet the same fate he once had. One keyblade was enough for any friendship; he had learned many years ago. He dreaded to think what a keyblade--let along two--could mean for something more. A difficult choice was before him; whether to encourage these feelings in his students and let them find a new kind of happiness in each other, or to kill this before it began and save them both from pain greater than they could comprehend.

The waltz began to slow, and with it their steps. Eyes met; this time, their gazes held, as did their breath. 

"I...feel a little dizzy..." Aqua mumbled.

"Maybe it was all the spinning," Terra's hands drifted to hers. He held them with a tenderness Eraqus had never seen before in the young man. 

His thumb traced the back of Aqua's hand, but Terra's eyes remained fixed on hers. "M--Maybe we should stop."

"We have stopped."

They stood a mere breath from one another. Eraqus could almost hear their heartbeats racing.

Fear washed over him. He snapped to his feet, scaring Terra and Aqua to attention. They cheeks flushed the exact same shade of red.

"Terra, Aqua--" Eraqus stumbled a moment; he hadn't exactly thought of anything to say. "Um...adequate work today. Terra, although your footwork has improved, you resorted to a different style of dance than traditional ballroom. Aqua, I am glad to see that you are allowing Terra to lead, but please try to anticipate your partners moves."

They mumbled their affirmations, bowing slightly to him.

Guilt washed over Eraqus; they had been enjoying themselves, why did he ruin it? However he may feel, it was too late to change his decision. "As you each have studies to attend to, I will end out lessons early. Aqua, please practice offensive forms this morning. Terra, I recommend you spend time in the library today studying for your paper. You are dismissed."

With a final bow, his students shuffled off to put away their shoes, then parted ways without a word.

Perhaps he had made the wrong decision; perhaps he could still save the moment. "Terra..."

Terra turned to his master, although for a moment his eyes flitted to Aqua. She had retreated among the practice dummies, but held still among the cotton forms for a moment as though waiting to overhead what Eraqus had to say.

What could he possibly say to them? What did he know about love? "...I will be in to assist you with your paper shortly, Terra."

Terra nodded, then quietly left the gym.

The CD scratched to a stop, drawing Eraqus' attention. As he fiddled with the buttons of the stereo, he could see Aqua twirling back and forth across the gym floor, swinging her keyblade at the practice dummies.

A vicious cycle of guilt stirred in his stomach; regret for ending their moment, regret for his regret, and on. They would be stronger together, of course, but at what cost? Perhaps it would be best he simply stayed away from this affair. He so wanted to protect them from anything and everything the universe could threatened, but he couldn't do so forever. They would choose for themselves what path their lives would follow, and nothing he could do would prevent that. Whatever they decided, he could only hope it would not end in tragedy.

As he left the gym, a single thought ran through his mind:

_I never should have let them dance._


End file.
